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تعيش قضية كريستيانو رونالدو حلقة أخرى مع عودته إلى مانشستر، حيث تنتظره محادثات طويلة مع مسؤولي الشياطين الحمر فيما يتعلق بمستقبله.

وغاب رونالدو عن جولة مانشستر يونايتد في أستراليا وتايلاند، ولم يتدرب حتى الآن تحت قيادة المدير الفني الجديد إريك تين هاج، بداعِ أسباب عائلية.

ومن المعروف أن الغموض يحيط حاليًا بمستقبل رونالدو في الأولد ترافورد، حيث طلب من إدارة النادي السماح برحيله هذا الصيف حال تلقي العرض المناسب.

ورغم ارتباط صاحب الـ37 عامًا بالعديد من الأندية، مثل بايرن ميونخ، باريس سان جيرمان، تشيلسي وأتلتيكو مدريد، ولكن لم يتقدم أي نادِ بعرض لضمه حتى الآن.

وذكرت تقارير صحفية أن رونالدو سيطير إلى مانشستر يونايتد الإثنين، أمس، قبل يوم من عودة تدريبات الفريق.

وحسبما ذكرت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، فإنه من المتوقع أن ينضم رونالدو إلى بقية المجموعة من اللاعبين اليوم الثلاثاء، بينما سيتم تحديد مستقبله بعد أيام طويلة من الغموض.

وأوضحت إنه بالرغم من أن رونالدو سينضم إلى تدريبات ما قبل الموسم الجديد، إلا أن ذلك سيكون بشكل مؤقت، لأن نيته ما زالت تتمثل في الرحيل.

سيلتقي الهولندي إريك تين هاج بالنجم بهدف إقناعه وإغرائه بمشروع الشياطين الحمر الجديد.

اقرأ أيضًا.. حارس مرمى سابق: انتقال رونالدو إلى أتلتيكو مدريد لا معنى له

ومع ذلك، لم تتغير نية كريستيانو رونالدو وهدفه العظيم هو الذهاب إلى فريق حيث يمكنه اللعب في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

المعلومات التي تتحدث عن انتقال محتمل إلى أتلتيكو مدريد لا تزال حالية ومستقبل كريستيانو – في هذه المرحلة من الصيف – بعيد كل البعد عن التحديد.

لكن البرتغالي أيضًا ليس لديه نية لإحداث صراع في النادي الذي ساعده على التألق كلاعب في بداية مسيرته، ولا يخطط لمواصلة الغياب، لذلك سينضم إلى تدريبات المجموعة بدءًا من يوم الثلاثاء.

The Daily Record’s Mark Pirie has suggested Celtic could be wise to look into a move for free agent Neil Taylor.

The Lowdown: Taylor still without a club; Celtic’s left-back woes

Taylor, who won 43 caps for Wales, is still without a club after leaving Aston Villa in the summer.

The 32-year-old spent four-and-a-half years at Villa Park and made 103 appearances in the Midlands but is yet to find a new team.

Celtic have had their issues at left-back recently after Greg Taylor required shoulder surgery, with outcast Boli Bolingoli returning for one appearance and Josip Juranovic switching over from right-back on a few occasions.

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The Latest: Pirie’s suggestion

Pirie shared a story on The Daily Record on Tuesday morning, looking at seven free agents who could solve solutions in Ange Postecoglou’s squad.

One of those was Taylor, with Pirie describing a potential cut-price move as a ‘savvy piece of business’.

The Verdict: Worth a punt?

Teenager Adam Montgomery is highly thought of by Postecoglou and could be viewed as the club’s long-term left-back answer, so bringing in Taylor for nothing could help the youngster’s development.

If Postecoglou isn’t sure on Bolingoli long-term, and with Greg Taylor out, bringing in another Taylor, who has close to 150 games of experience in the Premier League could be a shrewd move, which would then give him three options when the Scot returns from injury.

In other news: Kieran Devlin drops worrying 9-word response on Karamoko Dembele as Celtic injuries pile up. 

Marcus North won the battle of Australia’s potential Test No. 6s but it was Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting who really enjoyed some pressure-free batting practice

Brydon Coverdale in Potchefstroom21-Feb-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Simon Katich was particularly harsh on the spinners as he brought up his 45th first-class ton © AFP
Marcus North won the battle of Australia’s potential Test No. 6s but it was Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting who really enjoyed some pressure-free batting practice ahead of the first Test. Katich posted his 45th first-class century, and it was one of the more relaxed hundreds of his career, while Ponting cruised to 93 as Australia reached a comfortable 360 for 4 at stumps.The tourists’ strong batting put their disappointing bowling effort in perspective on a pitch that continued to offer no assistance for the bowlers. Katich and Ponting combined for a 185-run partnership that ended when Ponting was adjudged caught at slip when he tried to slog-sweep Imran Tahir, while Katich retired on 124 as Australia were keen to audition North and Andrew McDonald ahead of next week’s first Test.The men are competing for the No. 6 position – assuming Michael Clarke is fit – and they were both watchful early as they took care not to throw away their opportunity. They put together a 47-run partnership that ended when McDonald played back to Tahir and was lbw for 23, before North went on to register a half-century in his first innings for the Australians.North remained cautious but showed his ability to drive through the off side and flick through leg. He finished up with an unbeaten 52, while Mitchell Johnson was on 12 as Australia played out time at the end of the day. The scoring-rate had slowed slightly after Ponting and Katich took to Tahir earlier in the afternoon during their 185-run stand.Like Australia’s Bryce McGain, legspinner Tahir was treated mercilessly on a surface offering no real turn. He went to tea with 70 having been taken from his 11 overs and when he returned for his second spell he was immediately slammed over midwicket by Katich for a pair of sixes.Ponting also enjoyed facing Tahir and one straight-driven six that cleared the sightscreen left the ground and forced a ball change. Ponting struck three sixes and 15 fours in an innings that wasperfectly fluent apart from his first ball, which resulted in a huge appeal for caught behind when he was beaten by a superb legcutter from Ethy Mbhalati.Katich was troubled even less often. He drove the fast bowlers without fuss through the gaps on both sides of the field. When Roelof van der Merwe came on with his left-arm spin, Katich lofted him over midwicket as if he was one of the amateur bowlers playing in a club match adjacent to Senwes Park.For most of the opening partnership Katich had been outscored by Phillip Hughes, who showed glimpses of his class before falling to a cracking bouncer from Mbhalati. Hughes was on 24 when he played back and tried to defend but the rising delivery clipped the edge and flew through to the wicketkeeper. Hughes, 20, was off the mark first ball with a clip to square leg and he struck three boundaries, including a magnificent cover drive off Mbhalati.Australia spent only 2.3 overs in the field on the second morning and it was a much happier attack than on the first day. Ben Hilfenhaus produced a good outswinger that drew an edge behind from Heino Kuhn for 99 and in the next over Doug Bollinger picked up his first wicket with a good bouncer that van der Merwe gloved behind for a first-ball duck.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na última década, o torcedor do Fluminense se acostumou a comemorar gols de Fred no Clássico Vovô. O Botafogo foi o rival favorito do ex-camisa 9 tricolor, que atualmente defende o Atlético-MG. Agora, em sua segunda temporada nas Laranjeiras, o Richarlison é quem está na briga para se tornar o novo carrasco alvinegro e tem mais uma chance nesta quarta para marcar contra o rival. A bola rola às 21h no Maracanã e terá transmissão em tempo real do LANCE!.

Contratado após destacar-se pelo América-MG na Série B do Brasileirão de 2015, Richarlison já enfrentou o Botafogo três vezes com a camisa do Fluminense. São duas vitórias e três gols marcados. De volta ao time titular após cumprir suspensão automática contra o Bahia, no domingo, o camisa 70 está escalado, mas Abel Braga pode utilizá-lo em duas funções: aberto pelo lado, com Pedro de centroavante, ou como um falso 9, com Calazans entrando no lugar de Pedro e formando o trio ofensivo com Wellington Silva.

– Tenho uma equipe, um time, mas não sei até onde vamos. Sempre falei isso. Não repito o time, é indiscutível a qualidade e a falta de um Douglas, de um Sornoza. Aqui, saem garotos, entram garotos. A oscilação se faz presente, mas não temos medo de encarar nada – avaliou o otimista Abel Braga, técnico do Fluminense.

Disposto a manter o bom retrospecto diante do rival carioca, Richarlison disputará o Clássico Vovô no Estádio do Maracanã pela primeira vez. Em 2017, foram dois confrontos no Nilton Santos, casa alvinegra onde o atacante marcou três gols, e, em 2016, no Raulino de Oliveira, em Volta Redonda, quando Fred marcou o gol da vitória tricolor por 1 a 0.

وجه مدرب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر يونايتد، إريك تين هاج، سهام نقده نحو جناحه المخضرم، كريستيانو رونالدو، بعد تصرفه الغريب عقب استبداله بين شوطي مباراة رايو فاييكانو الودية.

وغادر رونالدو ملعب “أولد ترافورد” تمامًا بعد قرار تين هاج، الأمر الذي أثار جدلًا وتكهنات حول مدى رغبة البرتغالي بالفعل في الرحيل عن مانشستر يونايتد.

اقرأ أيضًا | رئيس نابولي: لا تحدثوني عن اللاعبين الأفارقة.. لن أتعاقد معهم أبدًا

Erik ten Hag gaat in op het gedrag van Cristiano Ronaldo. Net als andere spelers ging hij afgelopen weekend na de rust naar huis toe. Hoe gaat de trainer van Manchester United hiermee om?⁰
Het hele interview is later te zien in de Viaplay-uitzendingen van de Premier League. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/gIFJcL8QQE — Viaplay Sport Nederland (@viaplaysportnl) August 3, 2022

وعلق تين هاج على تصرف رونالدو في تصريحات لشبكة “Viaplay” الهولندية، وقال: “كان هناك أكثر من شخص قد عاد إلى منزله”.

وتابع: “بالتأكيد أنا لا أتغاضى عن هذا التصرف، غير مقبول من الجميع”.

وأضاف في النهاية: “أقول لهم إنه غير مقبول، لأننا فريق، يجب عليك البقاء حتى نهاية المباراة والرحيل سويًا”.

MatériaMais Notícias

Hernanes conquistou a torcida do São Paulo com grandes lances, gols e dois títulos Brasileiros, em 2007 e 2008. No entanto, o jogador, que teve o retorno ao clube anunciado nesta quarta, também ficou conhecido pelo seu jeito peculiar fora do campo. Dono de um perfil incomum entre os atletas de futebol, o meia é sedento por inovações. Ao longo da carreira, desenvolveu técnicas de treinamento que incluíram a contratação de um cientista da bola. Autodidata, pegou gosto por aprender idiomas sem a ajuda de professores.

Confira abaixo algumas passagens, atitudes e características do atleta que ajudam a explicar seu perfil diferenciado e por que profissionais do clube têm saudade dele até hoje.

“Bom dia, tricampeões!” – A profecia
Em 2008, o São Paulo teve a conquista mais difícil do tricampeonato brasileiro. Com um começo ruim após nova eliminação na Libertadores, o Tricolor virou o turno com 11 pontos atrás do líder Grêmio. Na época, matemáticos chegaram a apontar 1% de chance de título para o Tricolor. Parecia o fim da hegemonia. Não para Hernanes. Conhecido como um otimista de primeira, o jogador aplicou um método para motivar seus companheiros. Quando todos estavam desacreditados, ele chegava ao CT para treinar e cumprimentava um por um assim: “Bom dia, tricampeões!”. Foi marcante e virou símbolo da conquista. O São Paulo ficou 18 jogos sem perder, superou o Grêmio e conquistou o Tri. Hernanes acabou sendo escolhido o melhor jogador da competição. E ganhou o apelido de Profeta, também pelas suas frases filosóficas e, para alguns, enigmáticas.
​
Métodos de aprendizado
Hernanes é um autodidata. Ou seja, tem facilidade para aprender as coisas sozinho. Ele conta que, quando criança, durante seus primeiros passos no futebol, passou a dominar e chutar apenas com a perna esquerda. Era destro. Assim, desenvolveu a ambidestria, marca que o acompanha até hoje. Mas os métodos para adquirir conhecimento vão muito além e sempre arrancava risos de quem foi testemunha.

Um companheiro de concentração do jogador nos tempos do São Paulo contou que ele tinha hábito de jogar uma moeda no chão para encontrá-la depois. Detalhe: com a luz do quarto apagada. Segundo Hernanes, o exercício servia para aguçar os sentidos, a percepção, noção de espaço. Neste ponto, também tenta escrever com o pé. Grudava uma caneta entre os dedos e, sentado, arriscava-se à escrita.

No campo, a mesma coisa. Era comum ver o jogador no CT fazendo alguma atividade diferente com a bola. Certa vez, pediu a um dos profissionais de imprensa do São Paulo para acompanhar seu treinamento com uma câmera. A recomendação: filmar apenas o pé, enquanto o volante cobrava faltas. A cada batida, Hernanes conferia o posicionamento do seu pé no momento exato do chute. Para atender o pedido, o profissional da câmera muitas vezes tinha de fazer as imagens deitado no gramado do CT.

O cientista
Hernanes chegou à base do São Paulo por volta de 2001. Nessa época, conheceu um profissional que o acompanharia por muitos anos. Era J. Alves, um técnico que acreditava ser possível desenvolver o futebol de forma puramente científica e filosófica. Hernanes costumava chamar o amigo de cientista da bola, termo que Alves, talvez por modéstia, rejeitava. O treinador retirava métodos de treinamentos para Hernanes de livros, sobre coordenação motora ou visão periférica, por exemplo. A ligação era tamanha que, quando deixou o Brasil para jogar na Lazio (ITA), o meia seguiu se consultando com o amigo. Eles conversavam por Skype.

-Isso é um projeto que comecei a buscar: ser um jogador completo. Comecei isso com um amigo cientista. E queria ser completo como? Marcando e fazendo desarmes, como sempre fiz, e crescendo no número de assistências e gols. Mantenho minha média de 3 a 4 desarmes por jogo, e cresci nos outros fundamentos. Em 2007 fiz 5 gols e uma assistência, e hoje eu cresci graças a esse trabalho, aprendi a ser completo – explicou Hernanes, em entrevista em 2010.

A amizade com Jean, hoje ‘rival’
​Uma outra cena marcante da passagem anterior de Hernanes pelo São Paulo foi sua relação o também volante Jean. Os dois viviam juntos no CT da Barra Funda. Não se desgrudavam. Além das afinidades e da amizade, a dupla achava que a união ajudava no entrosamento dentro de campo. Hernanes costumava dizer que se você passa muito tempo no convívio de outra pessoa, você passa a ser ela. Jean era mais jovem, também vinha da base e ouvia conselhos do amigo mais velho. Juntos, formaram a dupla de volantes campeã brasileira em 2008. Jogaram demais.

Agora, os dois estarão divididos entre muros. Jean atualmente joga no Palmeiras, arquirrival do Tricolor. As famílias, que sempre foram muito próximas, estarão em torcidas diferentes. Fica a amizade.

RelacionadasListasVeja os times que mais repatriaram jogadores nesta temporadaListas19/07/2017São PauloSem espaço e com poucos jogos em 2017, Hernanes quer lugar na meiaSão Paulo19/07/2017São PauloEmocional, Ricardo Gomes e corujão no CT: detalhes da volta de HernanesSão Paulo19/07/2017

The situation is not pretty for South Africa. There are two days to play, they have a 506-run deficit, their captain Graeme Smith won’t come out at the top of the innings as he nurses a fractured hand and rain is unlikely to save them

Brydon Coverdale in Durban08-Mar-2009
JP Duminy: “It’s just about rocking up tomorrow with a positive mindset and believing that we can do it.” © AFP
The situation is not pretty for South Africa. There are two days to play, they have a 506-run deficit, their captain Graeme Smith won’t come out at the top of the innings as he nurses a fractured hand and rain is unlikely to save them. And there’s the small matter of Australia still having seven wickets in hand and being able to build their advantage with time on their side.It’s hard to find positives for the hosts. But if their recent tour of Australia taught them anything it was that seemingly impossible situations are not always so and after stumps on the third day inDurban, JP Duminy was trying desperately to find a bright side on which to pin his hopes. He searched the deep recesses of his memory and came up with a Kingsmead success story from nearly a decade ago.”Gary Kirsten scored that 275 to save a Test match against England,” Duminy said of the 1999-2000 Boxing Day Test, when South Africa followed-on and made 572 for 7. “There are definitely capabilities of it happening. It’s just about rocking up tomorrow with a positive mindset and believing that we can do it. It’s a funny game so we’ll just have to wait and see.”Smith’s injury makes a difficult prospect seem even less attainable for a South African side that will lose the series and their hopes of claiming the No. 1 Test ranking if they go down in Durban. Smith could feasibly repeat his Sydney heroics and bat with his injury if South Africa find themselves close to winning or saving the game but the chances of that happening are slim.”It’s going to be a tough ask for us,” Duminy said. “We’ll look forward to a good start from the players up front. We’ve definitely got the top five, plus [Mark] Boucher, to help with the situation.Everyone will just move up one space, so Hashim [Amla] will open.”The first step in the process is discovering how much they will be chasing – their target is already nearly 100 beyond the record successful fourth-innings chase in Tests – and how long they will have to survive at the crease. Australia must decide on a declaration time-frame and the centurion from both innings, Phillip Hughes, said there had been no indication from the captain Ricky Ponting as to when that would occur.”There’s still a lot of cricket to be played in this game,” Hughes said. “There’s two days and we’ll come back tomorrow and just go from there. We’ll wait and see. We’ll wake up tomorrow and turn up and do the warm-up and go from there.”

West Bromwich Albion have received a potentially significant injury boost ahead of their local derby with Championship rivals Birmingham City after defender Matt Clarke was declared fit enough to make a return to action.

What’s the word?

The Brighton and Hove Albion loanee has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the end of August when he limped off before half time in the 2-1 win at Blackburn Rovers.

And while the Baggies have carried on their good form in his absence, the return of the 25-year-old centre-back will be a big boost to Valerien Ismael’s charges.

“The rehab went really well, and I felt in myself that I could have been ready to come back before I did, but I was happy to follow the advice of the medical team who told me that the location of the injury meant I had to be patient and not return too soon,” Clarke said (as relayed by the Birmingham Mail).

“You have to give it time to settle and heal, which obviously brings a little bit of frustration, but you have to make sure you’re right.”

With fierce rivals Birmingham arriving at The Hawthorns a week on Friday, Clarke is eyeing a return to the starting XI and feels the current break will give him further opportunity to get back to match fitness.

“I feel like I’m now ready, but it’s the international break, and there are no games to play,” he added. “It does give me a chance to catch up even further in terms of fitness and sharpness, so we will see where we are when the matches return.”

Valerien Ismael will be buzzing

Clarke is yet to complete a full 90 minutes for Albion since his arrival on a season-long loan over the summer, but the Midlands outfit have been victorious in all three of the games he’s started, leaving the manager elated that he’s set to return.

After suffering their first defeat of the campaign last time out against Stoke City, West Brom will be hoping Clarke’s comeback marks the return of winning ways and Ismael will be buzzing to have one of his first-choice centre-backs available once again.

The Baggies have been playing a back three involving Conor Townsend – a natural left-back – in recent weeks due to Clarke’s injury, and therefore, the Brighton ace’s reinstatement into the first-team setup will be a significant boost.

This term, the centre-back has won a colossal 5.7 aerial duels per game – the third-highest in the team – and has also produced 2.3 interceptions a match. That tally represents the highest in the entire Albion squad and indicates why his return to fitness is such a positive.

He’s proven himself to be an elite-level Championship defender during a previous spell with Derby County and his comeback will only enhance West Brom’s chances of a sustained promotion push.

And, in other news…Forget Diangana: Ismael must continue to unleash “first-class” £5.4m-rated WBA gem 

MatériaMais Notícias

Gatito Fernández volta ao time titular do Botafogo para o duelo deste sábado, contra o São Paulo, às 16h, no Nilton Santos. Com edema na coxa esquerda, Jefferson será preservado pela comissão técnica do duelo no Brasileirão. Assim, o goleiro paraguaio retorna, depois de levar cinco pontos no joelho esquerdo.

O último jogo de Gatito foi contra o Nacional, no Uruguai, pela Libertadores. E, desde então, Jefferson vinha sendo o titular, atuando nas seis últimas partidas do Botafogo. Vale lembrar que o ídolo botafoguense vinha de 14 meses sem entrar em campo. Titular desde o começo do ano, o paraguaio se firmou no clube, com defesas importantes tanto na Libertadores quanto Copa do Brasil.

O provável Botafogo neste sábado vai contar com Gatito Fernández, Emerson, Carli, Igor Rabello e Victor Luís; Rodrigo Lindoso, Matheus Fernandes, João Paulo e Marcos Vinícius; Rodrigo Pimpão e Roger no comando do ataque.

RelacionadasCorinthiansTimão procura zagueiro do Botafogo, mas esbarra em valores e liberaçãoCorinthians28/07/2017BotafogoBotafogo resolve impasse e Valencia fica perto de, enfim, ser regularizadoBotafogo28/07/2017São PauloRelacionados do São Paulo: sem Lugano e com Marcos GuilhermeSão Paulo28/07/2017

For the third day running, on a very flat track, New Zealand stuck to their task and maintained control of this Test

The Bulletin by Jamie Alter28-Mar-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Chris Martin’s strikes with the new ball were instrumental in New Zealand bowling India out for 305•Getty Images

“Day 3 belongs to NZ” read a felt-penned placard on the grassy embankment at McLean Park. Around those four words were 11 pink hearts, neatly and accurately cut out by some loving fan, with each of the New Zealand players’ names loosely scribbled in the middle. It aptly summarised the third day’s play for the home side – a wee bit ragged, a lot tidier, and full of spirit.For the third day running, on a flat track, New Zealand stuck to their task and stayed in control of this Test. Threatening partnerships were broken shortly before the lunch and tea intervals, and they came out to polish off the rest of the Indian batting order in the final session. India’s shot selection was questionable but there was no taking away from a dominant New Zealand, who rarely wavered in their lines and produced a sustained fightback. India failed to score even half of New Zealand’s total. They lost their last four wickets for 35 runs after tea and a chuffed Daniel Vettori had no hesitation in enforcing the follow-on.To cap off an excellent day, New Zealand got rid of Virender Sehwag cheaply once again, though it owed more to bad batting than good bowling. Sehwag played another ugly heave across the line to Jeetan Patel and was hit on the back leg, in front of off stump. And for the second time in the day Rahul Dravid found himself batting for survival.Faced with a massive challenge earlier, Dravid and VVS Laxman had put their heads together on a good batting strip and shared a solid stand before a rash shot broke the Indian recovery. Vettori called on Jesse Ryder’s military-medium stuff and was rewarded immediately when Dravid chased and edged a short and wide delivery, leaving India 246 for 5.New Zealand seized the opening and sliced through the rest of the line-up with the second new ball. An out of sorts Yuvraj Singh lunged at one from Chris Martin and edged to slip for an 11-ball duck. It was Martin’s 150th Test wicket and New Zealand were right back on top.In a swift passage of play, they came out after tea and removed four wickets in 23 balls. Vettori requested a change of the new ball after it lost shape, and the one brought out allowed New Zealand to hack away. Martin used it superbly to Dinesh Karthik, varying his length before bowling a full, away-swinging delivery which Karthik edged to slip.Smart StatsThe 314-run lead for New Zealand is their highest in a Test against India. The previous record was 295, in Christchurch in 1990, in a match New Zealand won by ten wickets.It’s the fifth time Zealand have enforced the follow-on against India. India have drawn two of those games, both at home, but have lost of both occasions – in 1967-68 and 1989-90 – when they’ve followed on in New Zealand. In all, of the 29 matches when they’ve been asked to follow, India have lost 21, drawn seven and won one. New Zealand have won ten out of 13 games when they’ve enforced the follow-on, and on each of the seven occasions when they’ve done so at home.New Zealand have never won a Test in Napier. In seven previous matches, they have drawn five and lost two.Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman are the second-most prolific pair for the fifth wicket, with 1410 runs in 23 innings at an average of 67.14. Only Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh have added more runs for the fifth wicket.Laxman clanged Iain O’Brien for consecutive boundaries but soon steered an outswinger from Martin to the waiting slip cordon. Harbhajan Singh came in and threw his bat around for 18 from 11 balls, including one rollicking six off O’Brien over midwicket, but the bowler had the last laugh when Harbhajan eventually picked out deep square leg. A snorter of a catch by Ryder at gully accounted Zaheer Khan next ball and the Indian innings ended on 305. India had resisted, in bursts, but New Zealand fought back harder with a flurry of wickets.Until Dravid’s error, he and Laxman – the second most successful fifth-wicket pair in Test cricket – looked inseparable. After Sachin Tendulkar fell for 49, Dravid was joined by Laxman and they meshed impeccable technique with delicate drives that drew warm applause from a sparse crowd.Two beautifully timed boundaries off Patel with trademark authority early on set the tone for a Laxman innings, highlighted by dainty footwork, crisp use of the wrists, and elegant shot selection. Laxman stayed true to his graceful nature as his innings progressed. He handled Vettori and Patel almost effortlessly and even their good deliveries were occasionally driven through cover with disregard. Post lunch, he caressed boundaries either side of the pitch and even afforded himself an aerial shot – not a heave, but a cocked-wrist flick – over midwicket off Patel. These shots took him through the twenties, so often a bogey phase for Laxman, and his half-century was not far away.Carrying another uncomfortable load with few complaints, Dravid and Tendulkar had lifted Indian spirits for an hour and a half in the morning. To the spinners, Dravid either came down to smother the spin or went right back to play with the turn. Against the faster bowlers he played straight and left with confidence, but also pulled out some top shots. He drove Martin and Vettori firmly through between cover and mid-off; O’Brien dropped short, and Dravid cut. When O’Brien did it again Dravid cut hard past backward point to reach his half-century off 110 balls.Tendulkar had begun splendidly, essaying an array of shots around the ground and playing with poise until he was undone by his first half-hearted shot of the morning. Patel had been getting him to play strokes and that worked for New Zealand when Tendulkar was lured forward and edged to first slip. It was moments like this – persevering, not spectacular – on which New Zealand owned today.The third day of this Test had players from both sides playing intense, determined cricket but it was New Zealand – desperate to end the day with an advantage – who emphatically finished on top. Somewhere, a home fan is keeping that placard and felt pen ready for tomorrow.